While it's not effort that saves us, the effort we put into our faith is one of the indicators that we have a genuine faith at all. God is values-driven, which means that his commands are meant to reinforce something of his character and priorities, not just his preferences. What we need to realize is that, for the follower of Jesus, we're being instructed not only to fulfill certain moral obligations, rather to recognize that God is calling us to a high standard of living.